Sprouted Grains
When Tonto went through his spring molt at two years of age, it was a tough one! For some reason, he shed a ton of fur - a lot for any bunny, and a lot for his coat in particular. He wasn't my first bunny, or my oldest bunny, so I knew after two weeks that I was seeing something unusual. His coat seemed a bit dull, his digestion was no longer flawless and he seemed tired. He ignored his hay - which made me suspicious, but he showed no additional signs of being sick.
Of course I tried all the usual things - different food, more hay, fresh greens, sunflower seeds, oats, and even bunny supplements for digestion, overall health and immune strength. He definitely got better, but things were still not quite right. There just seemed to be a crack in his normally domineering spirit. And I mean that - he was bossy.
Over the years, I saw similar patterns during and after that big second year molt in bucks. It also popped up in a few does after litters were weaned. Typically a lot of love, attention, and additional supplements to their diet would bring them back - or mostly back to themselves. Everything that worked well was noted as an additional "tool" for recovery - whether from physical or emotional stress. You can find a lot of those things in various articles on this site.
Still, Tonto was just not himself. It wasn't until I read a fantastic little book called, Beyond the Pellet, by Boyd Craven Jr. and Rick Worden, that I found what turned out to be the answer. Can I just say here that I have never met these two men, but if I am ever that fortunate, I could listen to them for hours. They seem to be a wealth of solid information. Because of their clear explanation and instructions, I set out to grow some sprouted grains.
Sifting double tray that allows you to easily rinse the grains or grass multiple times a day.
I purchased all my supplies through Amazon, but Craven uses empty butter tub containers and dollar store plastic containers and those work just fine too. It was tempting to be distracted by the plethora of You Tube videos, or the dismayed comments of those who attempted to grow sprouted grain and were constantly dealing with mold. That was clearly an issue as most of the sprouted grain I saw at health food stores had white or black fuzz at the roots. No good. I wanted to feed my bunnies only clean food.
Strict adherence to their method paid off well. I am now proficient at growing a mold free tray of sprouted grain grass. And my bunnies love it. I grow it and feed them 1 square inch patches when they seem run down or tired or just not quite healthy. Tonto is fully back to himself - though thankfully we lost the ornery part at some point. I think that nothing quite beats the vitamins and minerals that are packed into it, and because it is an easily digested protein, it doesn't tax your bunny's digestive system like the roughage of hay. Perfect for times when they are low on energy from a molt or a just weaned litter and need to focus that energy on healing or growing.
Sprouted and ready to transfer to a tray.
The grass is starting to come up and the roots are growing between the two trays.
This is about 5 days after soaking the seeds.
The strict adherence to their method paid off well. I am now proficient at growing a mold free tray of sprouted grain grass. And my bunnies love it. I grow it and feed them 1 square inch patches when they seem run down or tired or just not quite healthy. I think that nothing quite beats the vitamins and minerals that are packed into it, and because it is easily digested protein, it doesn't tax your bunny's digestive system like the roughage of hay. Perfect for times when they are low on energy from a molt or a just weaned litter and need to focus that energy on healing or growing.